THE CORRUPTED CASTLE
by ladyscoliosis
Summary: A surreal Invader Zim fanfiction full of strange happenings.
1. Intro

**1. I have a very weird imagination.**

**2. I can't even..**

**3. I'm going to eat cereal now.**

* * *

**( End of the Universe; Future's End )**

The entire universe plunged into eternal darkness. It was an empty, cold sheet of blackness. All of the planets have reached there end and the most precious of extraterrestrial life fell to an unfortunate mass extinction. Their souls drifted through abyss of the universe, where both God and Heaven is no where to be found.

Irk was the only planet thriving with existence. Despite Irk having technology of mass destruction like it once had, advance technology was no longer evident. All of it turned into ruin. The Irken Empire mysteriously collapsed and the irken race was left to survive by living off of rusted scraps. With no sufficient food and resources, the irken race resorted to cannibalism. They gorged themselves on irken born with severe deformities and defects.

Unlike the crazies that fed on their own kind, there was...a chance of survival for one irken. This irken was by the name of Hightower. No, Tallest Hightower. Did I mention he was a bit ...corrupted in the brain?

He constructed a large, castle despite the faint technology that was left on Irk. He also had complete memory of building a cloning machine.

He did not want the company of the savages that lived outside his castle. He needed new and improved irken that can follow his orders. He used macabre ingredients and irken DNA to create them, unaware of one little miscalculations he made.

**_' Shadows be gone!... This is the beginning of a new light, burning a hole in the empty sheet of blackness.'_**

* * *

**[ THE CORRUPTED CASTLE ]**

A few days have past and creating life was a complete success! The five irken-now brought in a corrupted world-were all kept inside small, egg-shaped incubators, drifting into a deep slumber until they have full development. However, one of the irken developed faster than the others.

His incubator door slid open; green liquid pouring. Small antennas and a pale green face slowly rose above the incubators entrance. With his bright, neon green eyes, he observed his surroundings, both curious and frightened. Unaware of what was creeping up behind him, a large, eerie shadow loomed over his frame. It was no monster. It was only Hightower, making sure that his children were okay. The irken tilted his head to the side, blinking at the Tallest. His height was tremendous...his features were grotesque and gloomy...what was he?

'Why, hello there...Welcome to reality. I am your creator, the great Hightower!

_Silence._

'- Ah, you're not talkative. Let's start with your name...Hmmm, how about I call you...Venetti!'

'...Ve...Net...Ti?'

'Um, Yes! That is your name! Remember it well!'

'...Venetti!'

'..Yes, Venetti, that very good. You're learning, you're realizing the first note of intellectual behavior' he said to the small clone.

Venetti saw two egg-shaped incubators on each side. Quickly, he turned back at Hightower with a wide grin spreading across his pale green face.

' The others be awake soon.'

'...I have...siblings...?'

'...not by blood, little one...but they're the only support you'll have in this cold, dark universe.'

A bright light laminated Venetti's face. He looked up to where the light was coming from and it was produced by a large, seizure headlight. From the headlight, his neon green eyes traveled to the caved-in ceiling. It was covered with a blue and pink striped swirl, resembling a dark, nightmarish vortex that could take you into a surreal dimension. His neon green eyes widen when he saw a dusty, wide shelf holding jars of green oozing liquids. Sick, oblique statues loomed over the exit, giving those who enter a dark and sinister stare. In a slow bowing motion, Hightower said:

' I declare this place as the Corrupted Castle. Venetti, this is your home...Feel free to explore...'

* * *

**Well, that was the intro 3**


	2. Kinder

Six days had passed. Four irken awoken from their slumber. Hightower entered with his first clone at his side. The four of them stared at the approaching irken with unfamiliar eyes. Just like Venetti, they all were silent, unable to decide who Hightower was and what race of alien he belonged to. Hightower tilted his eyes over to Venetti, giving him a sign that he was the one to speak. Venetti stared up at him, smiling happily as he grabbed on to his creators cold-blooded hand.

' I'll talk with them.'

' Good!...ogo mein Sohn, go!'

Venetti's hand unraveled from the Tallest. He walked up to other four, nervous chills sending up to his spine. They did not smile nor gave a dark grimacing stare at him. They all stood like a row of archaic statue, bland and emotionless. The first irken he stepped up to was a mature female. Crimson hair, the color of a rose's corpse, covered the left side of her beautiful face. Her scarlet eye was the only thing on her appearance that stood out. Her stare, in Venetti's mind, was like peering into the soul of Death himself. Her eyes met his and chills spread all over his body.

'...'

'...Hello there,...I'm Venetti...'

**'**...'

**'**...Your hair is beautiful,...it's...it's withered like a dead flower...almost like the foreign flower my creator told me. You know,...the um, Deadly Nightshade.

**'**..._Deadly Nightshade_...?'

**'**...Yeah,...you want that to be your name?'

The Tallest appeared behind the two.

'...Another word for Deadly Nightshade is Atropa Belladonna. We shall call her like that name?'

Belladonna's cold expression distorted, transforming into a smile.

**'**Ah, you like it! I knew you would. Venetti, on to the others.'

After Belladonna was a male irken whose complexion was same as hers and eyes that glowed an intense gold. He was very masculine and his height frightened him. Venetti held his fear in as he stood up the deformed giant remembering that he is a clone, not a monster.

**'**...um...hello there...I'm...Venetti...'

**'HELLO'**

His voice was _very_ deep, making the floor shake beneath everyone.

**'**Wow...what a voice you have. Father, what should we call him?'

'His name shall be Norton,' Hightower suggested,' the strongest out of my creations.'

Norton clapped his hands with glee, giving off a tremendous rumble to the castle. Hightower swerved in reverse. Venetti fell backward; peering into Norton's cheerful eyes. The giant bent down to observe him. Venetti flinched a bit as his gigantic hand reached out to touch his antenna. It was soft, fragile, and shared the same qualities of silk.

**'Norton like'**

The other two irken that stood next to Norton chuckled. He turned toward them. One was a short female irken whose body draped in the shadows. Her eyes were a bright scarlet, just like Belladonna's and her feelers were long and pointed. The other one beside her was large and round. His skin was paraffin and black nobs protrude from out his skull his skull.

Hightower bowed.  
'Oh, Noot and Omar, welcome to my castle.'


	3. Work

A week after the cloning, Hightower gave his creations chores to do around his castle.

Venetti's agility, swift thinking, and urges to climb on top of tall objects beyond average height gave him the job of organizing Hightower's castle blueprints in 30ft tall metal drawers.

Hightower took notice of Norton's unreal strength. Seeing how useful it could be, he gave Norton the job to move and carry heavy objects throughout the castle.

Belladonna was not a social butterfly. Unlike the others, she was quiet, solitary, and loved to hide in the castle's dark basement. What drew her to the basement was Hightower's primitive invention: the Strapwire Furnace. The furnace's flame created light and heat that kept her warm. The cracklings sounds of the dancing flame was music to her antennas. Hightower used to have an issue with Belladonna's love for hiding in the basement, but he soon realized that she had a fixation with fire. He assigned her with the job of cremating old, useless junk that cluttered around the castle. The more junk Belladonna cremated, the better the music.

Omar was the only clone that knew how to read and write. His creative ideas made him the ideal coordinator. He would write out a list and read the list to the others, giving them specific details, which made their jobs easier. After long hours of work, Omar would spend the rest of his days in the Library Labyrinth, reading books by his favorite author: Irken Edgar Allen Poe.

Last was Noot, the smallest and curious clone created. Her deep analyzing and ability to spot things that are missing gave her the job to be Hightower's personal helper.


	4. Kitchen nightmare

'What does father want to eat?' Noot questioned, walking along with Venetti through bloodstained kitchen doors.

'How should I know?' he replied. 'Maybe his dinner should be….creepy?'

Noot look at him with doubtful eyes, her scarlets showing only dullness.  
'Creepy?'She asked.

Venetti shrugged.

'What way would our father want it?'

The kitchen walls were barred with black and white stripes, the floor was dabbed in a checker pattern, replacing a counter was a black piano, the chandelier emitted candles holding green flames, the stove was on the wall, and the refrigerator was nailed to the ceiling. The two irken were baffled by the surrealism. Though being surreal, they had to find way to catch up to its dream-like quality. It was a challenge. Noot stood back a bit, feeling that it was impossible to make Hightower's dinner.

'Um…..Venetti, I think we should go ask Belladonna. She's the one that cooks for us.'  
With a twitch of an antenna, Venetti cut her off.  
'No. I'm sure we can handle this on our own.'

Noot's antennas hanged beside her neck with worried thoughts running about her mind; her scarlets even duller that before, almost a crimson blood color.  
She muttered, '...Venetti….the stove is on the wall. We can't walk on walls.'

Venetti ignored her and walked up to the wall-stove. He began to jump up and down trying his best to reach it, yet it was completely impossible to reach. It was twelve feet away from him.

'Hey…um, Noot, can you help me out here?'

Noot just stared at him. She shook her head back and forth and gave away a nonchalant sigh.  
" Venetti,…this is pointless.."

He kept on jumping up and down, and then tried to claw at the barred wall. Seeing his repeated attempts just irritated her.  
'…fine…I'll help.'

An hour later, Belladonna walked into the kitchen after hearing a loud crash.

'Oh my!' she gasped.

The kitchen was a complete mess: Vortian blood was sprayed across the barred walls, the chandelier unsnapped and broke into pieces, the wall-stove caught on fire, the piano was missing keys, a cluster of maggots crawled along the floor. Standing in the center of the chaos was Venetti and Noot, smiling, holding silver plates in their hands.

'W-..what did you two do in here?!' Belladonna barked, clenching her fists.

'Um….we were preparing Hightower's dinner…' Noot replied with a small hitch of fear in her voice. The plate in her hands kept shaking.

Belladonna emitted a piercing death glare that made both of the frightened clones' blood run cold. When she pointed her finger at both of them, they jumped.  
" Listen, Hightower assigned me to do the cooking. Not you. It's a pity that I have to clean up behind you whenever you guys make a mess'-She added with her finger now pointing to the kitchen doors—'Now, stay out of the kitchen and don't let me catch both of you in here doing something stupid! **GOT IT**!?'

'Y-yes!' Venetti and Noot agreed, nodding their heads frantically.

'Get out…**_NOW_**!'

Like a bolt of lightning, they jetted out exit.


	5. Dinner

A dismal dining room carried the presence of Hightower. He sat at the end of a zigzagged dinner table, waiting for his beloved clones to arrive with intriguing delicacies. The glass door creaked open with two, twitching antennas and green eyes poking through the opening. Another voice whispered behind him, urging him to go in.

'Come forth, Venetti and Noot! I've waited long enough. Show me the horrors that you have brought to me!'

Hightower tied a long sheet around his neck. He had a great feeling that his creations made something extraordinary for his eyes to see. They ambled to their Tallest, making sure to not drop what they have made. They stood beside him and placed two silver coverings in front of him.

'Ah, Belladonna taught you to cook, I see.'

'Nuh-Uh. Venetti and I cooked all by ourselves." Noot was fluttered with confidence. However, Venetti was worried about his creator rejecting his food.

'Belladonna was not too happy to see us do the cooking,' he murmured, his green eyes traveling elsewhere, 'We left her with the mother of all messes.'

Hightower gave one hard look at Venetti, and then guffawed.  
'My kinder, you never cease to make me laugh! But you do know better. The cooking is up to Belladonna.'

The clones held their heads down in shame.

'Sorry.'

'Ho-ho! Not to worry!' laughed the towering Tallest. 'You made an effort to try something new and that is what I'm very, very proud of. You may, someday rise as high as a tower, like I once did…'

Venetti and Noot looked up and smiled at him.

'Now, show me the horrors you made!'

'I'll go first,' Noot chirped. She lifted up the silver cover of her dish: **a cooked vortian head with a giant eyeball in its mouth**, 'Oozing with a small pinch of vortian blood!'

Hightower was whimsical, 'Magnificent! Magnificent! A dismembered vortian head is a delightful treat!'

'Hightower,' Venetti slowly removed the silver covering on his dish, 'See what I've made.'  
Venetti had made **a roasted smeet wrapped in a squeedily spooch.**

Hightower swung his long arms around Venetti. He patted his head and nodded with great approval.

'I cannot simply eat all of this by myself. Come, my Kinder, fest mit mir! **Es ist angerichtet**


	6. Memories

The sharp tips of Hightower's fork punctured the skin of the vortian's eye. He raised it to his mouth and bit into it. Both his mouth and chin wasdripping with blood. Noot handed him a handkerchief. He dabbed the blood away and continued eating the other half of the eyeball.

'Hightower?'

Hightower ceased from chewing to draw his attention to Noot.  
'Yes Noot?'

'Why did you say that you **_once_** were as high as a tower?'

Hightower's cheerful smile faded into a frown.

'Oh, it simply was a tragedy. But the past is the past. It is something that cannot be changed.'

'But was if there was a way we could change the past?' Venetti cut in before drinking his glass cup full of vortian blood.

The irken's words made the towering tallest shiver. He refused to tell about it.

He picked up his glass of vortian blood, trying to invent something else to say.

'The past cannot be changed, Venetti. The only way to change it if someone was daring to travel deep into an abyss.'

Noot's antennas perked up, 'Then where is this abyss?'

The glass shattered within Hightower's clenched fist. Shards of glass and vortian blood spilt all over the table. Noot jumped out of her seat. Venetti covered his face. They never seen their Tallest build up so much pressure and display it in such a frightening way. Hightower pushed his chair from the table, stood up, and moped his way to the glass door. Before exiting, he laid his sad eyes upon his confused Kinder.

"I apologize…Please, you must understand. Only an abyss would be the way to my past, a dark, impossible abyss. I no longer rise as high as a tower. My sky fell to ruin!"

He exited and the glass door closed behind him.

'Venetti,' Noot piped up, 'Did you just see that?!'  
The irken remained silent before her, trying to process what occurred 15 seconds ago.  
'And you know as well as I do' she continued.

'He mentioned about some dark, impossible abyss. Now, call me crazy, but I don't think it's a metaphor. I think he actually meant _'dark, impossible abyss'_ and the only way to reach his past is within that particular '_abyss_'. Come on, Venetti! You saw what happened! Our Tallest went under a nervous breakdown!'

Venetti was still walking amongst his subconscious, burning Noot's precious patience.

'Venetti, are you listening to m-'

Venetti raised his hand up to put her words to a halt.

'I hear you loud and clear…'

Noot slouched back in her chair, blinking eyes and closed lips as her current response. Venetti smiled with an optimistic thought, 'And we're about to find this dark, impossible abyss.'

The two irken continued talking at the dinner table until the Erolisk's Dinner Clock struck midnight.

Together they hatched a plan, a plan to know more about their Tallest and find a map to the dark, impossible abyss. It was not to be nosy; it was a necessity to help their-now despairing-Tallest. Usually, when the sky reached the time of Bittertwine, Hightower would go straight to bed. But he remained restless after what had happened at the dinner table.

**Memories haunted him.**

* * *

_Hightower was a very lonely tallest.  
So he created clones to fill his empty blue heart  
with warm joy.  
He called them his " Kinder ".  
But not even his Kinder were enough  
to make the dark memories, forever.  
His memories became so lucid that he felt like he was  
actually living them. It was the most excruciating torment of all.  
There it was-the Tormenter-staring in the Tallest's face  
with the same horrible laughter._

* * *

"WHY?' Hightower cried out to something that was only in his head.

'WHY!? WHY MUST YOU BRING THIS HIGH TOWER'S SKY TO COMPLETE RUIN!?'

The reality of the Corrupted Castle bled along with his memories, and also his madness. The statues stepped off from their pedestals, paintings of past tallests began to move, the walls melted, mirrors broke, clocks turned counterclockwise. The atmosphere couldn't stay in its place. The castle around him slanted and blurred into a hazy red. The Crooked Chandelier dropped on top of Hightower as blue flames danced around him. He knew not of the names of the evils that circled him in a wall of blue fire, mocking him. He was dizzy, he was nauseous. He wanted to escape the memories that suffocated him so.

**_But it was not real, reality was still at ease._**


	7. Fear

Omar folded his large arms.  
'So, you're telling me that there is something wrong with Hightwer?'

'YES! He went under a nervous breakdown at the dinner table. He said that his past is within some abyss!' Noot cried out with Venetti nodding behind her.

Belladonna swung her hands to her hips and shook her head.

'What _else_ is _unusual_ about him?' She snapped at Noot with sarcasm in her voice.

Noot responded back with a heavy sigh.

'Belladonna, I'm serious. Something terrible must have happened.'

Belladonna looked elsewhere, still hiding in her skeptical skin. Omar on the other hand, was intrigued. He dug his hand into his stitched pocket and pulled out a pair of spectacles.  
'Hmm, it does seem to make sense.'

'You actually believe her? Wow, just wow. And I believe that I'm born with wings!' Belladonna protested. 'There is nothing wrong with Hightower. I don't believe he would be able to break a glass with his bare hands!'

Noot walked up to her.  
'Really? I'll show you then…'

**THE ZIGZAGGED DINNER TABLE**

The Kinder ran to the Dining Room where the bizarre event occurred. Belladonna clasped her hands to her mouth and Norton covered his eyes in terror. Lying before them were shards and vortian blood splattered all over the table.

"My god…,' Omar carefully examined the mess. He noticed that Hightower's blood was at the tip of the shards.  
'This is his cup alright. When he broke it, the glass cut through his palm'

Like a dying flower, Belladonna walked closer to the table, her hands pressing against her beating heart.  
'This…is indeed a tragedy'

Behind her was Norton, who whimpered like a dog in pain.  
"Where is Hightower now?"

Belladonna shook her head. She felt Norton's fear and he wrapped his giant fist around her hand.  
'I don't know, Norton. Maybe he's sleeping in his headquarters...or…'

Omar agreed with the Deadly Nightshade though deep inside his large black heart, a silent voice was telling him to be wary. He removed his spectacles and placed them back into his pocket.

'Still we'll go check up on him; who knows what he's up to. After seeing this, he may try to do something else.'

There was no doubt that the Kinder had a bad sensation running through their bodies. The sound of frantic feet caused a clamor throughout the castle. Each room that they ran through was sabotaged by violent hands. The Jar Room was scattered with broken jars, the Jail Room was stretched with bloody claw marks, the Mirror Room was stricken with broken mirrors, and even the mirrors that were not in the Mirror Room had a powerful fist break their delicate surface. The Tall Black Spiral Stairs that led to Hightower's headquarters was fringed with wide gaps that gave the Kinder a challenge to jump over them without slipping or falling.

Belladonna was on the verge of slipping into a gap. Norton grabbed her up just in time before she even had the thought of falling to her death. He threw her up on his shoulder and kept on moving.  
'Thank you, Norton,' Belladonna said.

In the state of kindness, Norton returned with a grunting nod.

Venetti was the first to make to the top and without thinking, he burst open the Tallest's door. The reach for the highest part of the tower was bitterly unfortunate. Papers scattered all over the checker-plated floor, metallic bookshelves were knocked down, mirrors turned into fragments, computers were destroyed. A portrait of Hightower which hanged above his bed was decorated with deep claw marks. The rest of the kinder came behind Venetti. It was worse than they thought. Everyone but Noot stood in complete shock. Her mind was focused on an unbroken mirror with writing on it.

'Everyone look!' The clones swung their heads at Noot, then at the mirror her eyes where focusing on.  
'I wonder what it says…'

Omar used his spectacles to get a more detailed look. Hightower wrote it with the blue blood that spilt from his hands. Everything was translated in irk.

'Well?' Belladonna said. 'What does it say, Omar?'

'I believe it says…**Fira Is Te Only Admn Soulujion**. That's odd. There are mistakes he made in the sentence. The 'a' should be replaced with 'e' to spell 'fire', the 'Te' should have an 'h' in the middle, I think he meant to say 'damn' instead 'admn'. All you have to do is switch the 'a' around with the 'd', and the 'j' in 'solujion' is suppose to be a 't'."

**FIRE IS THE ONLY DAMN SOLUTION**

'I think it's some kind of message, a very easy one at that.'

'But, why would he write a secret message if it's so obvious?' Belladonna questioned.

Omar scratched his head.  
'Wait. The 'e', the 'h', the 'a', the 'd', and also the 't'. I think it's supposed to be spelled into a word.'

Noot raised a brow. "…Ehadt?"

Omar shook his head. 'No…. **Death**.'

'Fire is a solution? Death!? Is he trying to kill someone by lighting them on fire!?'  
Noot did not understand it all.  
'Who is he trying to burn up!?'

'It might be one of us!' Venetti exclaimed and a whole bunch of gasps followed after.

Noot was disgusted by what she heard. She shoved him into Omar.  
'He would never do that! Why would you even think of something like that!?'

'I don't know, Noot! I'm just as scared as you are!'

"I don't care! Hightower is _not_ a murderer!"

'I don't know!'

' **ENOUGH!**,' Belladonna boomed, leaving only silence to be heard. Her voice was as sharp as a razor blade and the rest of the kinder dared not to talk over her.  
'Hightower is not going kill nor burn any of us in this god forsaken castle! Everyone to need keep their mind clear, calm the fuck down, and stop jumping to conclusions! **GOT IT!?**'

All of them, except Omar, gave quick frantic nods.

'Now, I don't know what the hell is going on, but his behavior is beyond my thinking! The broken mirrors, the fire, him rambling about his sky falling to ruin, DEATH! They all have some sort of connection. Now, I believe that he does want someone to die, but I guarantee it's not us. And Noot is right; he would never try to hurt us.

'Fire is the only damn solution to bring death, death to whome? There is no one else in this crazy castle except the five of us and him, unless…he's talking about burning himself up!'

'Hightower is a strong irken. He would never think of doing that!' Noot cried out.

Omar cut in.  
'Now all we have to do is find out where he is now. He said that fire is the only solution. We have to find source of fire!'

'**THE BASEMENT!**,' Norton blurred out.

Omar scratched one of the black knobs on his head. 'Uh…basement?'

Belladonna stammered.  
'The Strapwire Furnace is in the basement! Quickly, we have to get to him before another tragedy occurs!'

_Like a flashing juggernaut, Norton leaped out the room with the Deadly Nightshade trailing behind him. Venetti and Noot scurried down the spiral steps, holding each others' hand. And last was Omar, pulling his weight up to catch up with the others. It was a matter of time before darkness overtook. The end was about to begin._


	8. Fire is the only damn solution

The wonderland effect was becoming worse. It took over Hightower's thoughts, memories, and sight: replacing them with physical hallucinations, devouring his brain with  
destructive teeth.

There was a harsh voice pounding negativity at him, cutting  
his antenna with sharp words, melting both his reality and brain before his  
very awareness.

His castle around him warped into a rotten dimension,  
turning everything into a surreal twixt.

As insanity poured in, the torments becoming  
more and more frightening. Hightower quickly hovered down the basement stairs.  
He held a wide gaze at the Strapwire Furnace, beholding its beauty.

Such a flaring invention it was!

The blazing fire reflected in his wild eyes, whipping  
around, luring the Tallest into its hypnotic inferno.

In the back of his mind, he could hear a murderous scream of himself, dying by the fire: it filled him with such  
delight, urging him to reach out and touch the flame.

A spark of light dabbed at the tip of his finger. It devoured his hand, trailed up his arm, rung a burning noose around his neck, and at last, engulfed him in a coat of fire.

The thought of a satisfying death  
was killed off by pain and burning flesh, tears and a scream, isolation and  
terror.

Pieces of his flammable body began to break off into a pile of charred  
bones, wrapped in cooked skin.

By the time his Kinder reached him, it was already too late.  
He was dying!

Norton shook in horror, unable to do anything but cry  
and call out his tallest's name. When the other four tried to save the despairing Tallest, he burned them in the process, making them recoil in  
silence, witnessing death.

The Tallest ran in all directions. They watched him ran around like dancing ball of fire.

Norton sobbed, unable to control himself. ' **HIGHTOWER!' **he yelled out in a river of tears.

Noot shook Venetti like a ragged doll ' Venetti! We have to do something! He's going to die! He's going to die! '

**There was nothing he could do.** His eyes were in a zombie gaze. There was nothing he could say to the shadowy irken, whose eyes were bright and full of tears.

_Omar remained silent, trying to comprehend the reality of what he was seeing._

' Someone! Find water! We have to find water!' cried Belladonna is a pitiful voice. She enjoyed the sight and sound of fire, but when it's her creator being cremated by its fury, it was the least thing she wanted to see. ' Hurry, Everyone! Hurry! We have to find water!'

* * *

_ A wall of thick smoke surrounded them, blinding them, repelling them from the Tower. The toxic fumes went into their lungs and they all began to cough, making it unable for them to speak. There was screaming, crying, the sound of dancing fire swirling around their heads. Five bodies collapsed around the terror, five souls lost a life who cared deeply for them. Perception became dark._

_..._


End file.
